Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It features upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is...

We'll Always Have Summer

Jenny Han

Coming April 26, 2011 - Preorder it below

Indiebound | BN | Amazon | Borders

From Goodreads:

It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college - only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

My thoughts:

Every time I think about this series all I can do is let out a deep sigh and think of the meaning of bittersweet - especially when it comes to this novel, the third and final installment of Jenny Han's Summer series. I'm both eager and sad for the release of this novel. I can't wait to find out what happens to Belly, but I'm very sad to see her story end.

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It features upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is...

What Can't Wait

Ashley Hope Perez

Coming March 28, 2011 - Preorder it below

Indiebound | BN | Amazon | Borders

From Goodreads:

"Another day finished, gracias a Dios"

Seventeen-year-old Marisa's mother has been saying this for as long as Marisa can remember. Her parents came to Houston from Mexico. They work hard, and they expect Marisa to help her familia. And they expect her to marry a boy from the neighborhood, to settle down, and to have grandbabies. If she wants a job, she could always be an assistant maganer at the local grocery store.

At school, it's another story. Marisa's calc teacher expects her to ace the AP test and to get into an engineering program in Austin - a city that seems unimaginably far away. When her home life becomes unbearable, Marisa seeks comfort elsewhere - and suddenly neither her best friend nor her boyfriend can get through to her. Caught between the expectations of two different worlds, Marisa isn't sure what she wants - other than a life where she doesn't end each day thanking God it's over.

My thoughts:

I read this book called The Absolute Value of -1 last year, and it made my top five list of debuts. It was published by Carolrhoda Lab which is the newest imprint from Lerner Publishing. I was so impressed by this novel, that I've been on the lookout for other books being published by this imprint, and What Can't Wait is one of them. I'm really looking forward to another edgy read.

World Poetry Day

In honor of World Poetry Day, I thought I'd feature some of my favorite verse books, along with some I can't wait to read. I never thought I liked poetry, and then I read Chasing Brooklyn. Lisa's writing was so powerful, I named it my favorite book of 2010. If you're already a fan of books told in verse, I hope you find a few new reads from this list. If you're not or haven't had any experience with it, I suggest you start with this list!

Glass, Crank, Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Impulse, Burned, Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Far From You

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

In My Bag (30)

In My Bag is my version of the weekly meme, In My Mailbox. IMM was started by Kristi over at The Story Siren, and it explores the contents of my mailbox or shopping bag on a weekly basis.

For review:

Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe

*copy provided by HarperCollins via The Teen {Book} Scene*

From the library:

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

Split by Swati Avasthi

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind! I have a number of projects in the works, my friend's little girl just turned one, I'm trying to plan my wedding, and I'm leaving for Cali at the end of the week. I've been so busy, I could fall over. But, I am super excited about the books I got this week! All have been on my list for a while. Did yall get anything good?

Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It features upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is...

10 Miles Past Normal

Frances O'Roark Dowell

Coming March 22, 2011 - Preorder it below

Indiebound | BN | Amazon | Borders

From Goodreads:

Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she's not. She's smart and creative and a little bit funky. She's also an unwilling player in her parents' modern-hippie, let's-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that "normal target." She has to milk goats every day . . . and endure her mother's pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation - and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good . . . the threat of homemade jeans, not so much.

My thoughts:

I'm going to include an additional blurb from Goodreads which pretty much gives every reason for reading this book. (In case it isn't clear, I bolded them for you :) )

Frances O'Roark Dowell's fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell's relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated . . . and normal is WAY overrated.

Happy Mardi Gras!

It's no secret that I live in South Louisiana, so it shouldn't be a surprise that while most of you are at work or school I'm celebrating my last day of eating, drinking, and being merry before the Lenten season begins. Mardi Gras is pretty much an official holiday down here - I may never have off for Martin Luther King or Columbus Day, but you better believe I'm off for Fat Tuesday!

Waiting on Wednesday (16)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It features upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is...

Miles from Ordinary

Carol Lynch Williams

Coming March 15, 2011 - Preorder it below

Indiebound | BN | Amazon | Borders

From Goodreads:

Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control....

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed The Chosen One and all of Carol Lynch Williams' other works have been on my list for a while. I love books about family, especially mothers and daughters, so this novel sounds very intriguing.

In My Bag (29)

In My Bag is my version of the weekly meme, In My Mailbox. IMM was started by Kristi over at The Story Siren, and it explores the contents of my mailbox or shopping bag on a weekly basis.

Bought:

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

I got all of these in great condition between a Trash to Treasure sale and thrift store shopping with my mom. We usually have great luck at these kinds of places when it comes to books, but unfortunately I fared much better than my mom :(

Also, I apologize with the lack of content lately. Between a busier-than-normal work schedule and my attempt at a social life, there hasn't been much time left over for writing. But fear not, dear readers! I do have several reviews started so look for those soon. ish. ;)